True Seers, Tarot Cards, Crystal Balls, and Wands
by Miseki
Summary: HPxEsca crossover. What happens to Hitomi when she finds herself buried in the heart of the wizarding world? And what will Harry Potter think of his new Divination teacher?
1. Chapter One: Visions

AN: This is an Escaflowne x Harry Potter crossover, my first FanFic! Credit goes to www.britishairways.com for the name of the airport in Tokyo.

Disclaimer: None of the characters from Escaflowne and Harry Potter are my own.

* * *

**_Chapter One: Visions_**

"Hitomi ...? Hitomi! Hurry up! You'll be late!"

"I'm coming, Mom!" Hitomi shouted, snatching her duffel bag and sprinting down the stairs. She gave her mother a quick kiss goodbye and shot out the door, heading for school.

Hitomi scampered through the classroom door just as the bell stopped ringing. Out of breath, she slid into her seat and grinned at her best friend, Yukari, who sat nearby. "Late again, Hitomi-chan?" Yukari whispered happily.

"Almost!" Hitomi whispered back. When she opened her mouth to say more, a ruler rapped sharply on her desk, inches away from her nose. Hitomi squeaked and almost jumped out of her chair.

"If the ladies are finished ...?" Their teacher peered disdainfully down at the girls through his thick glasses.

"Sorry, Sensei." The two murmured in unison, bowing their heads in mock contrition while shooting laughing looks at each other.

"I know that your month-long summer break begins next Friday, but kindly refrain from showing your mirth during class. Now, as I was saying ... " Hitomi and Yukari grinned at each other and opened their books.

===

The sun glowed orange behind the girls as they walked home, sharing ice cream and laughing. "Last track practice for one whole month!" Yukari exclaimed, throwing her arms wide in a mock yawn. "Now I can finally have some peace - " She squealed, jumping away from Hitomi, who had poked her in the ribs.

"Peace! You'll be bored without us, Yukari!" Hitomi clasped her hands below her chin and planted a sorrowful look on her face. "Oh, Amano, I'll miss you _soo_ much!" She mocked, dancing away when Yukari tried to hit her with her bag. "Whatever will I do?!"

"Oh, shut up, Hitomi," Yukari admonished, blushing and grinning. "Here's my house; I'll see you Monday, okay?"

"Bye, Yukari!" Hitomi waved and dashed off.

Hitomi stopped sprinting as she neared the train station, having to buy a ticket and ride the train to her Aunt's house, where her family was visiting for the weekend. Ignoring the strange looks from the clerks at her windblown hair, she skipped up the stairs and into the train. Searching for an open compartment, she ducked into one near the middle, occupied solely by a pale man with lanky hair, dressed all in black and wearing a cloak. Wondering for a moment at his odd clothing, Hitomi tapped him on the shoulder.

"Excuse me, sir," she said. "I'm sorry, but do you mind if I sit down?" She rocked nervously on the balls of her feet when he didn't answer. "Well, okay ... I'll just ... find somewhere else ... " As she was turning to leave, he looked up at her, his black eyes catching her green ones.

Shocked, Hitomi froze, her eyes growing wide as blackness engulfed her and she was suddenly tossed into a different world ...

===

Professor Snape was very confused. As soon as the girl had collapsed, he immediately looked up and down the hall for signs of the person who might have cursed her, but saw no one. He had his wand out, ready to try to revive her, when she suddenly jerked awake, shrieking. Her eyes, still round and huge as if she were panicking, cast about madly. Finally, she locked eyes with him. She jumped to her feet, grabbed his arm, and tried to pull him away.

"Come _on_! They're coming - they're almost here - we have to get away!" Snape wouldn't budge. He lifted his wand and opened his mouth to ask this girl what was wrong when she shouted at him again. "That - " she pointed at his wand - "won't work! There are too many of them! All in black - cloaks and masks - holding sticks like yours! We have to hurry! They're coming for you!"

Snape went limp with shock when she described perfectly the dress of the Death Eaters, Lord Voldemort's followers. Lacking resistance and still crazed with panic, the girl hauled him bodily down to the end of the train and locked them both inside the cargo car. She ducked behind a stack of suitcases and glared at the door, as if she expected a hundred Death Eaters to waltz in at any moment.

Shaking her off a little more than angrily, Professor Snape got to his feet. He looked down into Hitomi's panic-stricken eyes, grabbed her chin, and said very quietly in Japanese, "I don't know who you are, or how you know, but I can assure you that no Death Eaters will be hunting for me anytime soon." He stepped back and pulled out his wand again, preparing to modify her memory, when she leapt up, blushing bright red, and bowed.

"I'm so sorry!" She exclaimed, bowing lower. "It's going to sound crazy, but sometimes I have these ... visions, usually about the future. And they're never wrong! I had this vision when I saw your eyes - you were on a train. The train stopped, smoke was everywhere, people were screaming, dying ... " She shivered, a tear dripping down her face. "A dozen men all in black cloaks and masks broke the door down. You smashed the window ... I don't know how ... and tried to escape, shooting things back at them with your stick." She gestured at his wand. "But it was no use. There were too many of them. They caught you, knocked you over, mumbled something to you, and then ... " She paused, wrapping her arms around herself and lowering herself to the ground. "I don't know how it happened. They pointed their sticks at you, and you just started screaming. It was horrible ... terrible pain ... and then they shot green light at you, and ... " The girl stared off into space for a moment, reliving the terror. Suddenly she leapt up again.

"When I woke up and saw you, I knew something terrible was going to happen! I just knew that if you didn't get away, those men would catch you, and ... " The girl swayed on her feet, her eyes rolled up, and she collapsed again.

Professor Snape could not have been more stunned if she had been a Death Eater herself. He gaped at this strange young girl who had had a vision of his death ... a vision ... he reached for her bag, searching for some ID, and found a little card with her picture and a name on it.

"Kanzaki Hitomi," the card said. She was fifteen.

Kanzaki ... of course! This was the girl Dumbledore had sent him all the way out here to get! "She's a true seer," Dumbledore had told him, "although she doesn't know it. Go get her and bring her back here - now that Lord Voldemort has returned, she will not be safe." Snape, as one of the few members of the Order who spoke Japanese, had been directed to collect this "seer" and bring her back to headquarters for her own protection.

Snape glowered down at the girl's unconscious form in disgust. _Why_ did she have to faint on him like that? Now he'd have to carry her all the way home ... and explain to her parents. Sighing, he unlocked the cargo car's door and scooped her up; as he carried her down the aisle, he glared daggers at the closed compartment doors, _wishing_ someone would come out so that he could tell them off. Once inside his compartment, Snape plopped the girl unceremoniously on a seat and then sat down himself, promptly going back to sleep again.

Some time later, the door slid open, and the conductor gingerly tapped Professor Snape on the shoulder. The man shook his head and stood, scowling down at him, like a cobra looking for an excuse to strike. "E ... excuse me, s-sir," the conductor stammered. "Y-you asked me to i-inform you when we arrived at K-Kinagawa Station, sir."

Snape had a terrible headache. "Yes I did," he growled. "And have we?"

The conductor was petrified - the man was going to kill him! "Y-y-yes, sir." He backed up a couple of paces, shot one last look at Snape's expression, and bolted.

Snape frowned. Did he really look that conspicuous? He shook his head - didn't matter, as long as he got the girl back to headquarters. The girl moaned a little. Snape peered down at her as he lifted her up again; _this is going to be a _long_ evening_.

===

Professor Snape wandered up to a street light, thankful for any excuse to put the girl down for a moment. He couldn't afford to cast a levitation charm in the middle of a crowded muggle city, so he'd been forced to carry the girl all around the busy streets. Meanwhile, he had become more and more lost as the night progressed, and now he had stopped to pull a little slip of paper out of his cloak pocket. _157 Yuuyake Boulevard,_ the paper read in Japanese. Snape looked over at the street sign. Finally! He had reached the right street. Ruefully, he lifted the girl up again and lurched off down the street, checking the numbers in the dim light for '157.'

Mrs. Kanzaki was starting to worry. She had just called her sister, who reported that Hitomi had still not arrived. Hitomi had a tendency to run a little late, she should have been at her aunt's an hour ago. Mrs. Kanzaki was just getting ready to go out and look for her daughter when there was a sharp knock at the door. _Something must have happened to Hitomi!_ Mrs. Kanzaki thought frantically as she yanked the door open. She glimpsed a rather tall, pale man, dressed in black and holding an unconscious Hitomi in his arms.

"_Hitomi!!_" She shrieked, holding the door wide and stepping back. "This way - into the living room!" The man stepped swiftly into the house, setting Hitomi down carefully on a couch. "Oh, Hitomi!" She cried, kneeling on the floor next to her daughter and checking for a pulse. Satisfied that Hitomi was alive and breathing regularly, she laid a blanket tenderly across her unconscious daughter before rounding on the man. "What have to done to my daughter?!" She demanded.

Professor Snape shook his head. "Nothing. She just - fainted."

"Sure! And you just _happened_ to be in the neighborhood, hm? Hitomi was _supposed_ to be on a train!" The woman paused for a moment. "How did you know to bring her here?"

Snape sighed. This was the hard part. "May I sit down?" The woman nodded warily, seating herself across the room, near the girl. Snape nodded. "Thank you. I am not sure if you are aware, but ... lately, your daughter has been having visions." He noticed the woman's look of surprise, but kept on speaking. "These visions always come true. Such gifted people are called seers - they have the power to see the future." He stopped, giving the woman time to absorb what he had said. "Because of this power, a seer is constantly in danger. The powerful and ambitious would love to get their hands on a seer such as your daughter and use her for thier own evil ends."

Mrs. Kanzaki gasped. "You - you mean, Hitomi might be ... kidnapped?!"

Snape nodded. "Yes. Now that we have discovered her powers, the forces of darkness, led by one very powerful man, will not be far behind. They will seek this place out and abduct your daughter."

Mrs. Kanzaki raised a shaking hand to her lips. "But, what can we do? How can I protect Hitomi from these people? Oh, Hitomi ... "

"That's why I am here, Mrs. Kanzaki." Professor Snape stood, looking down at her. "I am part of an organization that fights against this man and his followers. In my part of the world, he seeks to take power, and we combat him." The woman's eyes, wide with terror, shifted to him. Snape laughed humorlessly. "In case you have not noticed, I am English, not Japanese. I have travelled across the world to give you this information. While I was riding the train here, I happened to share a compartment with your daughter. She had a vision during the ride, after which she panicked for a few moments and then fainted." He pulled a card out of his cloak. "I had your address. Once I realized who Hitomi was, I immediately brought her back here." The woman inclined her head in gratitude, the fear in her expression no less diminished. "My name is Severus Snape. I work for the Order of the Phoenix. This is my card." He handed it to her; she stared at it without reading it, her mind on her daughter. "I have come to bring your daughter to London, where she can be protected."

Mrs. Kanzaki stared at the man - Severus - in alarm, her mouth moving soundlessly. Before she could put together a response, Hitomi stirred and moaned.

"Mom ...?" She sat up and blinked, rubbing her eyes. "Wha ...?" Her mouth fell open when she spied Snape, and realized that she was at home.

"Hitomi-chan!" Mrs. Kanzaki exclaimed, throwing her arms around her daughter. "I was so worried! When Mr. Snape here carried you through the door, I was sure you were dead! And now he wants to take you away, and I - I don't know what to do!"

"Take me away? What do you mean?"

Snape stepped forward, determined to say something before he lost the mother's trust. "Miss Kanzaki, you fainted in the train." He said placatingly. Snape decided to treat the girl very delicately - he didn't want her to resent him. "I brought you home. I had some ... information to share with you and your mother. I have already explained the situation to her. If you will allow me to elucidate ...?"

The girl nodded, confused and a little suspicious. She held tight to her mother. Snape told her the same thing he had told her mother - and said it just as vaguely. When he had finished, she simply stared at him, shocked. "Wait ... I know I have visions," Hitomi said slowly, "but ... me? A seer? And this 'Order' ... I can't just ... there's no proof!" She looked at him, wanting to trust him but afraid of him all the same. "How can I tell ... " Hitomi jumped up, smacking a hand to her forehead. "Of course! I'll be right back." She turned and ran up the stairs.

Snape and Mrs. Kanzaki sat in silence. Mrs. Kanzaki looked at him mistrustfully, and Snape did his best to maintain a pleasant, friendly expression. It was very difficult. Thankfully, Hitomi returned soon, clutching a deck of ... cards?

"Oh, Hitomi, don't be silly!" Mrs. Kanzaki said huffily, her nerves on edge. "Tarot cards? Those things never work, you know. Silly supertitions and nonsense."

Hitomi pushed some magazines off the coffee table and set the cards down. "They're accurate when I read them, Mom." She explained. "I know I gave this up this spring, but - if I do a reading, I should be able to tell whether this man - Snape-san - is telling the truth!" She looked at them triumphantly.

Both Snape and Mrs. Kanzaki looked increduluous, but for different reasons. Snape lifted a brow. "You can do that with a pack of cards?"

"Of course!" Hitomi replied, wondering. "Have you never heard of Tarot cards?" She asked, in the same tone as one would ask, "have you never heard of Quidditch?" Snape had to think fast. How to explain this without giving himself away?

"No, I - no one reads Tarot cards where I come from."

The girl looked at him quizzically, and shrugged. "Oh! Well, anyway, Tarot cards are used to tell the future, or to discover something about yourself or another person. They're very popular in Japan. I'm going to do a reading for you, and the cards will tell whether we can trust you or not. Now, if you'll just sit down across from me ... there ... we'll begin." As the girl muttered about concentration, she made him shuffle the cards several times, and then set them back in front of her. Snape realized that, even if she didn't know it, she was using magic with these cards! What an ... interesting ... form of Divination ... he decided to pay close attention to what she was doing, and to listen to her instructions very carefully. _She should not be toying with ancient magic,_ he grumbled to himself, watching her hands as she laid out some cards.

===

Hitomi laid her Tarot cards out in the traditional pattern, leaving them face down for a moment. She took a deep breath, and flipped over the first card. _The Chariot ... _ she thought, shooting a puzzled glance at Mr. Snape. _Great mental control ... he's balanced between two opposing forces ... who is this man?_ Hitomi got a grip on herself and flipped the next card. _A force crossing the questioner ... _ she gasped aloud. _The Devil!!_ She peered up at Snape-san, who was glaring at the card suspiciously. _A man who walks a fine line, opposed by great evil? This is getting stranger and stranger ... _

Professor Snape was getting irritated. Divination was an unclear branch of magic at best, and this girl was no witch by any stretch of the imagination! This "tarot reading" of hers was taking far too long. Studiously, the girl flipped a few more cards, her expression changing with each one. _Muggles and thier rituals ... _

_Trapped in an inescapable situation ... anxiety and insomnia ... fear ... and secrecy. There's something Snape-san isn't telling us._ Hitomi frowned, pondering the cards. _One last card ... the Magician!_ Hitomi stared at the cards, trying to decide. _I think I can trust him. He's telling the truth; just not all of it._

Hitomi sighed, looked up from the cards, and began. "Well, Snape-san, the cards say that there is great danger in your near future. An old enemy will return to do you harm, or a great evil will present itself. You fear this evil, and yet cannot escape it." Professor Snape was astounded. The girl must really be practicing Divination! She wsa staring into his eyes ... was there something she wasn't saying? "Even though you are trapped in this situation, you have control over it. You have great mental control, and you use it." Snape stared. Just how much did this girl know?! She turned to her mother. "Most importantly, he's telling the truth. Mother, there is great evil in the near future. Snape-san is a powerful person, and he fights the evil already. He is hiding nothing from us - " at this she glanced at Snape, swallowed, and then turned back to her mother. "If he says I need to go with him, to protect me ... " The girl bent her head. "Then I should go with him."

===

Professor Snape faced the girl's mother in the hallway, wondering what she would do. The girl had already gone to bed, and the woman was looking pensive. "If you don't mind, Madam, I have to find somewhere to sleep," he said in his usual frosty tone, moving toward the door.

"Don't be silly," the woman stopped him. When he turned around, she looked as if she regretted what she was about to do. "You ... " she took a deep breath, looking down at the floor. "You may stay here for the night. The couch folds out into a bed."

"Your hospitality is much appreciated," said Snape, resisting the urge to pull the sofa-bed out with his wand. "We will be leaving for Narita airport in Tokyo tomorrow at nine."


	2. Chapter Two: A Stranger in a Strange Lan

AN: This is an Escaflowne x Harry Potter crossover, my first FanFic! Credit goes to www.britishairways.com for the name of the airport in Tokyo; to for info about the Japanese school year; to the Harry Potter Lexicon, for info about all things Harry, including calendars; to http:www.cse.unsw.edu.au/altse/japan/1212.html for information about and pictures of Narita airport; and to for information about international time zones.

Disclaimer: None of the characters from Escaflowne or Harry Potter are my own.

Review Responses to Those I Couldn't E-mail:

To KuramaLover: Yes, several Gaeans will enter this story after a few chapters, never fear!

To SabrinaYutsuki: I'm glad you like it! The pairing will remain anonymous for now (don't like to give away too much, ), but I will say that Hitomi will not be romantically involved with anyone from Hogwarts.

To Enu: I'm glad you liked it!

To StarWest45: I hope you like Chapter Two!

Thanks to everyone who reviewed! Feel free to e-mail me at misekichanyahoo.com anytime you like. I hope you like this next chapter as much as you liked the first! A lot of help came from my esteemed friend, Kurome Shiretsu, for beta-ing this story and helping with ideas. She has a few things up on here, including a one-shot and a YYH/X-Men crossover. Check out her work!

I'm sorry it took me so much longer to update than I thought it would! I had a lot of background work to do for this chapter, and then all this week my mom, brother, and I have been building a patio in the backyard to surprise my dad for Father's Day. Backbreaking work! So, I was way too exhausted to write. The patio came out great, though! He loved it. Anyway, I'm very, very sorry it took me so long. Chapter Three won't take nearly as long to write. Thanks for your patience, and enjoy!

--Miseki

* * *

**_Chapter Two: A Stranger in a Strange Land_**

"I'll be fine, Mom, I promise." Hitomi whispered in her mother's ear, hugging her tightly. "Don't worry, I'll e-mail you when I get there." She stood up, patting her computer case, her usual exuberance taking over again. "Goodbye, Mom! I love you!" She jogged down the driveway and met up with Snape-san, who was standing with his arms crossed, looking impatient.

"Goodbye, darling." Mrs. Kanzaki whispered, staring forlornly at her daughter's retreating form, a tear running down her cheek.

===

"So, where do you work, Snape-san?" The girl blushed. "I mean, not to be rude, or anything, but since we have a long flight together, I just thought ... "

Snape glared icily down at her. "Look, girl," He growled. "I did _not_ fly out here to make friends. I came here only to get you and bring you back to the ... " He stopped himself suddenly. How much should he tell her, in the middle of a crowded train? It would have to wait. "For the moment, my line of work does not concern you." Snape turned back to the window.

The girl looked hurt. "But, I only asked because ... the cards hinted that there was something you weren't telling me. Something you're hiding."

"_Not on the train!_" Snape hissed. "You would do well to keep your mouth shut, little girl."

She stood up, fists on her hips, glaring. "And _you_ would do well to be a little more polite! My _name_ is Hitomi!"

Snape sighed, defeated. He would do anything - even apologize - to keep her quiet. "All right, I'm sorry, Hitomi. I'll tell you everything on the plane, when we are more ... private."

Hitomi sat down, realizing that whatever his secret was, he didn't want the crowd on the train to hear about it. The noise on the plane would cover their voices. "All right." She said, still a little miffed.

Professor Snape waited for her to continue antagonizing him. When she didn't speak, he looked down; she was reading a comic book! Grateful for the silence, Snape rested his aching head on the window. _Why did I decide to learn Japanese?_ He thought, exasperated. _As soon as we get to headquarters, someone else can deal with her._

===

"Snape-san?" Hitomi looked up at the dark man, noticing that he was having trouble reading their boarding pass. "Let me help." She reached over and snatched the slip of paper away before he could protest. "Our gate is this way."

Professor Snape followed Hitomi as she slipped through the throng with practiced grace; he pushed people rudely out of his way, his glower deepening, until at last his icy glare was enough to sweep the crowds out of his way. Hitomi was oblivious to all of this, strolling cheerfully on until something displayed inside a shop caught her eye. She stopped and was about to duck inside when Snape grabbed her arm. "Not now," he growled, jerking her roughly out of the store. People stared, and he immediately let her go, regretting drawing such attention to himself.

The girl was glaring at him. "You don't have to be so rough! I was just shopping!" She put her hands on her hips and accused him. "What's wrong with you, anyway?!"

Snape drew himself up and scowled down at her. "We are not here to shop. We are here to get on a plane to London, as quickly as possible. Unless I am mistaken, the flight leaves shortly." He swept off in the direction she had been going, leaving Hitomi jogging to catch up.

More than a little irritated, Hitomi stopped when they reached the gate. "We're here, _sir_," she spat, marching over to the counter, boarding pass in hand.

Professor Snape's headache had returned in full force. He stood near a row of chairs, scowling, waiting for the girl to finish checking their seat numbers. A smile lingered on her face when she turned away. As Hitomi walked back toward him, she caught his eye, and ... froze. Her eyes opened wide, and the color drained from her face. Somehow, this looked familiar ...

Suddenly, worry replacing his anger, Snape realized what was happening. The girl shrieked, and Snape rushed to her side, appearing just in time to catch her on her way to the ground. Frustration returning, Snape carried Hitomi over to a chair and set her gently in it, waving away the bevy of attendants that hurried to his shoulder. "She is fine." He muttered, annoyed. "She has merely had another fainting spell - the girl has a weak heart." Why wouldn't these muggles leave?!

"If there is anything we can do - " one of the staff began, wanting to help.

"There is _not_." Snape tried to rein in his irritation. "Leave us."

Looking somewhat offended at his condescending tone, the attendants slid away, clearly confused. Hitomi stirred. Her eyes fluttered open, and when she saw Snape hovering above her, they grew wide in panic. Snape shook her slightly, willing her to regain her senses, and said, "Not now. Don't tell me now. Save it for the plane." He looked deep into her eyes. "Control yourself, Hitomi." She blinked, looking up at him; she was herself again, but tears were welling up in her eyes, and she looked terrified.

"Flight to London, now boarding," a friendly voice echoed over the loudspeaker. "Have your boarding passes and identification ready, please."

"Come." Snape helped Hitomi to her feet, and walked with her onto the plane. Once they were settled, seat belts fastened, Snape turned to her. "Now. Tell me."

===

The stewardess stopped at the next row of seats, making her rounds before takeoff. "The plane will take off shortly," she said in her 'pleasant' voice. "Fasten your safety - " The piercing gaze of one of the passengers cut her off. "Is - is everything all right, sir?" She asked, daunted.

"Fine." He looked the stewardess over, as if she were a worm, and said, "Leave us."

Irked at the man's haughty tone, but paid to be kind to the passengers, the stewardess smiled at him and moved on, making sure the other passengers were strapped in properly.

Professor Snape looked back down at Hitomi. "Your vision ...?"

Hitomi gulped. "Well, Snape-san, you were balancing on a tightrope, walking across a chasm. It was so dark! You were surrounded by demons on every side, but you kept your eyes forward ... you started to get tired, to stumble, and then a demon jumped out of the pit ... it was a person, wearing a mask and a black cloak! He jumped on you, and you pushed him off, but then more of them attacked! You couldn't stop them, and ... you fell in. They were torturing you - the screams ... " She buried her face in her hands.

Professor Snape was stupefied. This girl had somehow delved into his mind and discovered the absolutely secret, terribly dangerous role he played for the Order. Worse, she predicted that he would be discovered! _But how could she know ...?_ "Hitomi." The girl looked up at him. "What you have seen in these visions concerning me must remain entirely secret."

She blinked, confused. "Secret?"

"I carry out a very important and very dangerous duty for the Order, one that must be kept secret." He said formally.

"You mean, you're a spy?"

Snape glowered at her. "_Quiet!!_"

"Well, I was just asking." She crossed her arms. "You don't have to yell. And what's this 'Order,' anyway?"

Professor Snape sighed. "I had better explain." He glanced around, made sure no one was listening, and waited until the plane began to lift off before speaking. He said, in a low voice, "There are two basic groups of people in this world. Muggles - " she frowned, perplexed, " - and wizards." Snape waited for the sharp intake of breath, the sputtering shock. None came. The girl merely peered at him quizically.

"Wizards? Like, casting spells and muttering incantations?" She pondered this for a moment, not sure she believed him. _It does explain his tarot reading,_ she thought to herself.

Snape, annoyed that she showed no other reaction, continued. "Yes. I am a wizard. Those who lack magical ability are called _muggles._ Wizarding folk live behind, beyond, and around the muggles, and our world is kept absolutely secret." His lip curled in distaste. "It would be a disaster if _muggles_ ever discovered our kind." Before she could interrupt again, he added, "As I am sure you are aware, we do not use ordinary means to disguise ourselves. Extensive magical precautions of every sort are taken to ensure that no muggle ever discovers us, and that if he does, his memory is promptly modified." Hitomi gasped, but Snape ignored her. "Muggle discovery is not the only threat to the Wizarding world. There is a very dangerous wizard, a master of incredible powers and a man entirely without scrupules, who is attempting to seize control of our world."

He paused, and Hitomi asked, "Who is this wizard?"

"We do not speak his name," Snape said gravely. "Hundreds of witches and wizards have fallen before his power. He commands a group of followers, the Death Eaters, who do his bidding." He shuddered, almost unconsciously. "The Death Eaters also are very dangerous."

Hitomi gazed at him fearfully, intimidated by his tone and the fact that even a powerful person like Snape-san was afraid of this 'Dark Wizard.' She gulped and asked, "Why are you taking me to London?"

Snape looked at her. "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named learned of your extraordinary talents almost as soon as we." She didn't ask how he knew that, or who 'we' was. "If he takes you, he will force you to use that gift. You will reveal to him information so vital to the Order - such as the whereabouts of our headquarters - that he will be able to destroy us. Nothing will stand in his way. And once he has finished with you, he will torture and kill you." Hitomi's face was white, and she was trembling. "If you fall into his clutches, the Order of the Phoenix will be destroyed, and the world will fall to him."

Hitomi stared, terrified. Eventually, she stammered, "Th - the Order of the Phoenix?"

"Those witches and wizards determined to stop He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named."

===

Hitomi, scared and lonely, turned away from Snape-san, staring out the window. The cloudscape was soothing, and slowly she drifted into a troubled sleep. A few hours later, a rough shake woke her, and she heard Snape-san asking her what she wanted to eat. Blearily, she rubbed her eyes and stretched, telling him to get her whatever he was having.

Feeling better after her nap, Hitomi was full of questions. A highly frustrated Snape humored her for a short time. Finally, he snapped, "Enough! Cease your incessant questioning." He rolled over, facing away from her. "Wake me when we reach London." And with that, he slept, leaving an indignant Hitomi to somehow occupy herself for the remaining fifteen hours of the flight, as the in-flight movie was a mediocre one that she had already seen. _It's going to be a long flight,_ she thought to herself, glaring at Snape-san's form and settling into her seat with a sigh.

===

"Where are we going?" Hitomi asked, sitting in a taxi next to Snape-san. They had just left the airport, and Snape-san had given the driver directions in English. How she wished now that she had paid more attention in her English classes!

"The Leaky Cauldron," Snape-san replied tersely in Japanese, saying no more.

"The 'Leaky Cauldron'? What - "

"You will find out for yourself in twenty minutes," Snape interrupted. She fumed at him, but remained silent, and instead looked out the window to see what she could of London, even if it was pitch dark outside. She felt disoriented, and a little nauseous, but not sleepy at all; just exhasuted. _Of course,_ she thought. _In Japan it's morning._ She thought about her mother, musing until the cab stopped.

They left the taxi and got out onto a busy sidewalk, glowing yellow-orange in the streetlights. "I don't see - " Hitomi started, then gasped as a small, rickety looking building suddenly appeared in between two skyscrapers, where no gap had existed before. Snape-san pulled her along after him, and before she knew it, Hitomi was inside a dark, dusty room full of people in robes, who were all babbling English at each other. She looked around timidly, a little frightened, as Snape-san said something to the bartender - bartender! They were in a bar! - passing the man the oddest golden coins. Before she could protest, he was pulling her along by the arm again, this time leading her around the bar and out a small side door, into a dingy alley.

Hitomi jerked her arm away angrily. "What are you - " she started, but he ignored her, talking again to the old bartender, who produced a large carpet. Mystified, she stared at it, wondering, until Snape shook it open and motioned for her to climb on. Hitomi was confused.

Exasperated, Professor Snape snapped, "It's a flying carpet. These are illegal, but as we only have to travel a few kilometers and you can't ride a broom, it will have to do." Hitomi boggled at him, but sat down gingerly when she saw his scowl. Nervous, she gripped the edges of the carpet. She squeaked when it took off, hovering above the ground for a moment before floating off into the night sky.

Once she realized that the carpet wasn't going to drop her, Hitomi sat up straight and opened her eyes. _It's like flying with Van,_ she thought wistfully. The ride was over too soon, and Hitomi stepped off the carpet a little sadly. She looked up and saw a large, gloomy house, the boards weathered and the windows broken. A large sign was nailed to the door, printed with red letters she couldn't read, and she had the strongest urge to leave immediately. She started backing away.

Professor Snape growled. "Anti-Muggle enchantments," he muttered under his breath, grabbing Hitomi and practically dragging her to the door. He slammed it open and pushed her in, closing it quietly behind him.

Hitomi struggled with the overpowering sensation that she shouldn't be here, and the image of the mansion flickered strangely as she came near it, as if she was having a vision. She tugged on her arm absent-mindedly, trying to get away from Snape-san, who was pulling her toward the strange place. He opened the door and the mansion's image was instantly different, as if the way it had looked before had just been a ruse. Hitomi had no time to ponder this, for Snape-san shoved her roughly inside and shut the door softly. She barely had time to register the dusty hall, with peeling wallpaper and shabby curtains covering the far wall before she was rushed up a wide set of stairs and into a musty room. Tired, hungry, and throroughly confused, Hitomi couldn't say much other than, "Wha ...?"

"Welcome to the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix," Snape-san said, standing in the doorway. "This is your room. I will return shortly with some food. You are not to leave this house. I would suggest that you get some rest." And with that, he closed the door, leaving her alone in this strange place. Hitomi moaned, sitting down on the bed, which creaked. _I want to go home,_ she thought miserably, laying down, although she knew she wouldn't be able to sleep.

===

Just as she was drifting off, Hitomi heard men shouting, and then a woman screeching at the top of her lungs. Bewildered and angry, she threw the door open and stomped downstairs, determined to shut them up. Didn't they realize what time it was?! She reached the hallway to find Snape-san and another man, one with longer black hair and a gaunt face, each holding a small sliver of wood pointed at the other. The moldy curtains at the end of the hallway had been thrown open, and behind them was an old lady in a painting, who was the one screaming. Hitomi was too tired and grumpy to be fazed by this, and the two men didn't seem to notice, so she decided to do something about it. She marched across the hall, passing between Snape-san and the other man, and grabbed one curtain in each hand, slamming them shut. "_SHUT UP!!_" She bellowed into the sudden silence. She whirled to the two men, who were staring at her in shock. "Do you have any idea what time it is?!" She demanded of them.

Sirius was flabbergasted. Who was this mysterious girl who had marched into his hallway and shouted something incomprehensible at him? And how had she managed to shut his mother's portrait up so quickly? He was opening his mouth to ask her when Snape said, "Don't bother. She only speaks Japanese." Snape looked over at him snidely. "Which you don't understand." Then he turned to the girl and talked to her for several moments, apparently in Japanese.

"Hitomi, I would like you to meet Sirius Black," Snape-san said, as if nothing had happened. "He is the owner of this ... _charming_ establishment." When she only glared at him, he said. "He and I were having a small disagreement, which happened to arouse that lovely portrait." He gestured.

"What are you saying, Snape?" Sirius growled.

Snape smirked, but before he could answer, the girl said something to him, and he actually laughed. "She wants to thank you for allowing her to stay here," he translated. "She says that her name is 'Hitomi,' and that she is sorry for yelling at you." Snape sneered. "Although I found your surprise rather amusing." He swept his cloak off the floor where it had fallen, and put away his wand. "We will have to continue this later. Goodbye!" He said with a devilish grin, saying something to Hitomi before opening the door and stepping out into the night.

Hitomi stared at the door, furious that Snape-san would leave her stranded here with a total stranger. Her eyes shifting from the door to the stranger - _Sirius-san_, her mind said - and back again. She began to get nervous. _What am I going to do?_

Hitomi was about to bolt and run for her room when another man appeared, this one with long white hair and a beard. He was wearing half-moon glasses and a nightcap, and looked like he had just gotten out of bed. She looked at him, wild-eyed. He peered at her quizzically for a moment, and then understanding spread across his face. He turned and said something to the other man.

Sirius frowned at Dumbledore, and said, "I don't know who she is, all Snape said was that her name was Hitomi."

"Ah yes," Dumbledore said, nodding. "Hitomi is a True Seer, a very gifted one, and I asked Severus to bring her here. He is, after all, the only one of us who speaks Japanese."

Comprehension dawned on Sirius's face. He nodded, and then frowned again. "If Voldemort gets his hands on her - "

"Yes, I know, which is why I had Severus bring her here." Dumbledore smiled again. "I have come up with a small spell that will allow her to understand us. If I may borrow your wand ...?" Sirius handed his wand over, interested. Dumbledore raised it, pointing it at Hitomi, who shrieked, but didn't run away. Sirius admired her courage. Dumbledore flicked his wand and said forcefully, "Retineverba!" A white mist shot out of his wand and surrounded her head.

When the mist cleared, she blinked at them, confused, and then said in perfect English, "What was that?"

* * *

I do hope you liked it! More coming soon! 


	3. Chapter Three: Reunion

AN: This is an Escaflowne/Harry Potter crossover, my first FanFic! Credit goes to www.britishairways.com for the name of the airport in Tokyo; to for info about the Japanese school year; to the Harry Potter Lexicon, for info about all things Harry, including calendars; to http:www.cse.unsw.edu.au/altse/japan/1212.html for information about and pictures of Narita airport; and to for information about international time zones.

Disclaimer: None of the characters from Escaflowne or Harry Potter are my own.

Review Responses:

To Sabrina Yutsuki: I'm glad you liked it! As for that spell, I had to have a way to break the language barrier - originally, it was gonna be a potion, but I figured a spell would be more interesting.

To Honeypot: Thanks! More about Sirius below ...

To Askylla Madison: I'm glad you enjoyed it! Escaflowne is my favorite anime also, hence this story.

To Bradybunch4529: Thanks!

To Kovah: Thanks! I'm glad you like it.

To Nakoya Moonwind: I'm glad you liked it, and I hope you continue to R&R!

To Enu: Yay! The plot will now thicken even more ...

To Bee3: Thanks! I'm glad you think so.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed! Feel free to e-mail me at misekichanyahoo.com anytime you like. I hope you like this next chapter! A lot of help came from my esteemed friend, Kurome Shiretsu, for beta-ing this story and helping with ideas. She has a few things up on here, including a one-shot and a YYH/X-Men crossover. Check out her work!

I have fixed the errors that were found in the other two chapters, and updated them ... they were just minor typos, nothing major. Oh, by the way, I forgot to say this before ... this story is a rewrite of Harry's fifth year. Also, there is a part of this chapter that is a flashback, when one character is telling another a story. I thought I should tell you that now, so you wouldn't be too confused, and I wouldn't have to put "FLASHBACK" in big letters right in the middle of the story. Enjoy!

--Miseki

* * *

**_Chapter Three: Reunion_**

"Harry!" A shrill voice called up the stairs. "Harry Potter! Come down here this instant!" Harry sighed grumpily, closing his textbook and stomping down the stairs.

"_What?_" He snapped.

"You'll not take such an ungrateful tone with your Aunt, boy." Uncle Vernon threatened from the parlor. "She took you in - "

"Yes, I know, gave me a place to sleep, and all that." Harry paused, trying not to lose his temper. He looked at Aunt Petunia. "What do you want?"

She sniffed, crossing her arms and peering down her nose at him. "Look after the supper." She said, not bothering to explain.

"Why?" Harry asked bluntly, not moving. He was feeling very grumpy lately - his friends' letters were annoyingly empty of news, and he had not heard from Sirius at all. It was his birthday, but no one had remembered; it was as if they had all forgotten that he existed.

Aunt Petunia opened her mouth to chastise him, but he just turned and walked away. "Whatever, it doesn't matter," he said, trudging into the kitchen. Harry was leaning on the counter, moping and grumbling, when the doorbell rang.

He didn't even look up, just continued to stare moodily into space, until he heard Dudley scream. Curious now and hoping to have something to tease his cousin about, Harry dashed into the hallway. He caught a glimpse of Dudley cowering at the foot of the stairs before turning his head to the door. What he saw there surprised even him.

A tall, thin, good-looking man with short black hair was standing in the doorway, leaning on the frame and twirling a wand casually back and forth across his fingertips. "Hello, Harry," he said with a nonchalant smile.

"S ... Sirius?!" Harry sputtered, his jaw dropping. Dudley squealed again and scuttled upstairs as fast as his fat legs could carry him. Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia burst in, both looking confused and angry. "What is going on - " Uncle Vernon started to shout, his voice chopping off abruptly when he saw the man in the doorway. "Who are you?" He said menacingly. He had not yet noticed the wand.

Aunt Petunia had. "Vernon!" She shrieked, jumping behind his considerable bulk. "He's got a - "

Vernon saw the wand and glared, but before he could say anything more, Sirius stepped into the hall, casually kicking the front door shut behind him. "Allow me to introduce myself," he said, grinning and cutting an elaborate bow. "Sirius Black, at your service."

Uncle Vernon gasped, his face turning purple, and Aunt Petunia screamed. "He's an escaped convict, Vernon! He's going to kill my Dudders!" She tore up the stairs after her son.

"You stay away from her," Vernon growled, seeming less intimidating as he had hoped, since his fear was quite evident. After one last glance at Sirius's wand and mischevious grin, he fled.

Harry stared. "But you ... how did you ... what are you _doing_ here?" Harry asked feebly, at a loss for words. Suddenly he started to worry. "Why are you here in broad daylight, the Ministry is looking for you - "

Sirius laughed merrily, shocking Harry again. "Not anymore!" Harry froze. He couldn't think of anything to say. "I'm free, Harry!" He said gleefully, throwing his hands in the air. Seeing Harry's dumbfounded face, he frowned pensively. "Maybe I had better explain ... "

===

Hitomi coughed, covering her nose and mouth with her hand as clouds of dust rose off the dark wooden cabinet she was attempting to clean. "This thing's _ancient,_" she said, pouting.

"Everything here is ancient," Sirius mumbled. He frowned and glared at the cabinet with disgust.

There was a soft knock at the door. "I'll get it," Sirius-san sighed, and he slouched off.

_I hate this rotten place,_ Sirius thought. He reached the front door, and when he pulled it open, eight freckled and red-haired faces confronted him. "Arthur! Molly! Welcome!" He whispered, holding the door open. "You have to be quiet, or you'll wake my - " But it was too late. The Weasleys bustled in, dropping their luggage on the floor with loud _thunks_ and chattering amicably. The drapes at the back of the hall flew open, and his mother's portrait began to scream.

"_Filth! Scum! Horrible traitors, defiling my house! Mudbloods, Muggle-lovers - _" Sirius tried desparately to force the curtains shut, with no success. A young girl came out of the parlor, sprinted right past the confused Weasleys who all had their hands over their ears, and shut the curtains with ease. The roaring suddenly died.

Sirius put a finger to his lips and led them all into the kitchen, leaving their luggage behind. "Welcome," he said, starting to make some tea. "Dumbledore has explained the situation?" He asked. Arthur, Molly, Bill, and Charlie all nodded, but the rest of the children all shot mystified looks at each other. Sirius ignored them. "Good. Your rooms are upstairs - I'll show you where - but be quiet in the hallway." He smirked. "The slightest noise wakes that portrait up, and the only person who can shut her up is Hitomi." At their quizzical glances, he gestured in the girl's direction.

She was young and thin, with short light-brown hair and green eyes. She blushed a little, and bowed. "I am Hitomi Kanzaki," she said. "It's nice to meet you." As the Weasleys introduced themselves, the tea kettle started whistling, and soon they were all sitting around the kitchen table, talking. Hitomi remained rather quiet, but when they had all finished, she volunteered to help the younger Weasleys unpack.

Sirius showed the Weasleys their rooms, and once he showed Arthur and Molly where they'd be staying, Molly immediately took over, whirling around the room and unpacking things at top speed. Sirius shot a meaningful look at Arthur, and they retreated to the safety of the hall, where Sirius leaned against the wall and crossed his arms. The stairs below him creaked, and he looked over to see Hitomi stick her head in a door, say something, and then slip in, closing it behind her. _I wonder,_ he thought, staring back at the ground. He was still staring into space, musing, when the Weasley's youngest son, Ron, came crashing out of his new room.

"Mum!" Ron shouted, running down the hall. "Mum! Something's happened to that girl!"

"Keep your voice down, Ron!" Molly Weasley whispered, stepping out into the hallway. "What's going on?"

"It's that girl we met downstairs! She was helping me unpack, and her eyes rolled up into her head! Then she just fell over - I think she might've died or something!" Ron grabbed his mother's wrist and tugged her into his room, pointing wildly at Hitomi's prostrate from. "See! There she is! I didn't do anything, I swear, she just - "

"Collapsed." Sirius finished, walking through the door and crouching at Hitomi's side. "Snape told me the same story. He says she does that when she's having a vision."

Ron gaped. "A _vision_? What?"

"Why don't you go get some warm water, Ron." Mrs. Weasley said, in a tone that meant _now_. Ron shuffled reluctantly out, and Mrs. Weasley turned to Sirius. "What is going on here, Sirius?"

He sighed. "She's a Seer, Molly. An amazingly talented one. From what Snape tells me, just about anything can trigger her having a vision - even just seeing someone or touching a certain item. Dumbledore sent Snape to Japan to bring her here, to protect her from Voldemort."

Just then, Ron came back with a pot full of steaming water, and Sirius picked Hitomi up gently and placed her on Ron's bed. Hitomi stirred, and her eyes flew open. She leapt off the bed and turned to Sirius, a strange look in her eyes. "He's planning something!" She told him, as if that were explanation enough. "We have to go!" She left the room.

Sirius shrugged and turned to Molly. "I had better go see what this is all about." He said, starting to follow the girl. "Look after the house for me, won't you?"

===

"She's a _Seer_?" Harry asked.

"Yup." Sirius nodded over his cup of tea. "From Japan. She's kinda strange, but nice enough, I guess."

"But that doesn't explain why you're - " Harry began, but Sirius cut him off again.

"I haven't finished the story yet!" He exclaimed. "Anyway ... "

===

Sirius caught up with the girl just in time to stop her from running out the front door. He grabbed her arm and pulled her into the kitchen.

"What are you doing?!" She shouted, tugging her arm free and whirling to face him. "He's going to kill those innocent people!" She was just opening her mouth to shout at him some more, but a white mist poured out of her mouth instead. She gasped, confused, but kept right on talking anyway - in Japanese. Once she realized that he couldn't understand a word she was saying, she glared at him and mimed the casting of a spell. Chuckling, Sirius shot the spell in her direction, and once the mist cleared away, she was speaking English again.

She was not pleased. "Stop laughing! A whole innocent family is in danger, and you're just ... _standing_ there!!" She turned to march angrily out the door, but Sirius stopped her again.

"Hitomi, wait." She glared, but allowed him to steer her into a chair. "Now, tell me what's going on."

Hitomi continued to glower at him, and Sirius had to choke back his laughter at her excellent impression of 'Snivellus' Snape. "I had a vision!" She said. "I saw a small, balding, watery-eyed man coming into a house, saying something about that dark lord - I knew that something terrible was going to happen!" She swallowed. "He's going to kill someone, I just know it! He's waiting for this family, he'll hide until they come back, and then ... his master sent him to kill them!" She was talking at the speed of light, and Sirius couldn' get a word in egdewise. "I saw the address in my vision. I don't know why, but I have the feeling that he's there for revenge. Someone betrayed the dark lord ... and the watery-eyed man is there to punish him." Her eyes welled up with tears. "I can't just let that family die! We have to stop him!" She jumped up.

"Hitomi, you're being irrational." Sirius said calmingly. "You and I can't do anything right now. _You_ are not even supposed to be in this country, and I am an escaped convict with a price on his head." Sirius scowled at the ground, thinking. Suddenly he looked up, a dangerous glint in his eyes. "Wait ... describe that man one more time."

"He was short, and bald, and he had small, watery eyes and big teeth. But why does it - "

"Pettigrew." Sirius growled. He looked murderous, and Hitomi stepped back, a little afraid. He turned to her. "He's the reason I have a price on my head," he explained. Suddenly he realized what she had said. "He's here in London? Right now?" She nodded. "If we can catch him ... " Sirius stared into space for a moment, then turned to Hitomi, full of energy. "We have to catch him!" He dashed out of the room and up the stairs, bursting into Arthur and Molly's room eagerly. He explained the situation, and they both nodded, and then turned to dig in their trunks for black robes and broomsticks. Sirius ran back down the stairs, tiptoed through the hall to aviod waking his mother, and went into the kitchen, where a mysitfied Hitomi was waiting.

"I have a plan. Since I can't go get Pettigrew myself," he frowned a little, "I've convinced Arthu and Molly to go in my place. Will you go with them?"

Hitomi nodded. "Of course!" She hurried out, met Arthur and Molly, and shortly they left, Hitomi riding on the back of Molly's broomstick.

Sirius scowled and kicked a nearby chair, knocking it over with a resounding crash. _Once again, I'm left behind,_ he thought, picking up the chair and sitting down to wait.

===

"I didn't have to wait very long. I was just starting to worry when they came back, Arthur and Molly carrying a struggling Pettigrew between them."

Harry stared. "You caught Wormtail?! Then what happened?" 

Sirius laughed again. "Well, pretty soon, Dumbledore showed up, and I explained everything. We talked for a while about what we should do, and finally decided to bring him to the press first. Dumbledore said that old Fudge would just lock him up and refuse to believe the truth if we went straight to the Ministry." He grinned. "The press jumped all over it, and in three days the story was on everyone's lips. Old Fudge was outraged! He called an emergency hearing, and Dumbledore brought Pettigrew before the Wizengamot." He waved his hand in the air. "I don't know the details, only that the Ministry believed him. They must've used Veritaserum or something. Anyway, the whole wizarding world knows about it. Not only that, but once the Ministry heard Pettigrew's story, they realized that they had been chasing the wrong man. I'm free, Harry! They cleared my name! Your friend Hermione produced Rita Skeeter and used her to convince the public that I - " he posed dramatically - "am a tragic hero, locked in Azkaban for trying to protect my friends. The stories have been running for three weeks now. People come up to me and apologize in the streets - perfect strangers! I bought a new wand, Harry, look!" He produced the wand that he had been playing with earlier.

Sirius's happiness was contagious, but Harry still had a few questions. "Er ... what's this 'headquarters' you keep mentioning?"

"I can't say anything here - " Harry frowned, " - but Dumbledore asked me to give you this letter." He handed Harry a glossy piece of folded parchment, with green writing on the front.

===

Hitomi knocked gingerly on Dumbledore-sama's door. "Dumbledore-sama?" She asked. "May I come in?"

She heard a muffled, "certainly!" and slid into the room. Dumbledore-sama was sitting at his desk, quill in hand, and staring down at a blank piece of paper.

Hitomi coughed nervously, and said, "Dumbledore-sama, I overheard you talking to Sirius-san earlier today," she blushed, "about someone called 'Harry.' Somehow I could tell that you were worried about him." She saw his confused look, but continued anyway. "So, I decided to do a Tarot reading for you, to see if I could help." She paused, unsure of herself now.

"Go on."

Hitomi looked down, and said quietly, "The cards told me that you really are worried about Harry. You know something terrible about him, something he doesn't know, but you're afraid to tell him." She looked up, and her voice got louder - she was practically shouting. "This is a mistake! I don't know why, but if you don't tell him ... you will both be in great danger!" Hitomi wavered for a moment, then turned and ran, slamming the door shut behind her.

Dumbledore stared at the door, amazed. "What if I _have_ made a terrible mistake?" He murmured to himself. _True Seer indeed,_ he thought, sitting back in his chair. Slowly, he lifted his quill and began to write.

===

"A letter?" Harry asked, looking down at it.

"Yeah." Sirius shook his head. "I have no idea what's in it, but when he gave it to me, Dumbledore seemed a little upset." Sirius smiled and clapped Harry on the back, rousing him from his reverie. "I brought something else for you, too!" Sirius dug in his cloak - which he had tossed on the sofa - and triumphantly produced a large box, handing it to his godson with a grin.

Harry stared at Sirius, and then grinned and took the package. Eagerly, he ripped the ribbon off and tore the box open. Inside was his very own Quidditch set. "Wow, Sirius!" He said gleefully, pulling out the Snitch.

"And that's not all. Ron and Hermione asked me to deliver these." he pulled out two smaller boxes, one with chocolates in it and the other full of oddments from a joke shop. Sirius smiled, and Harry grinned back. "Happy Birthday, Harry."

Harry had to agree.

===

Harry had invited his godfather to stay the night, and once Sirius was stretched out on the couch, fast asleep, Harry pulled Dumbledore's letter out of his back pocket. Mystified, he broke the seal and began to read.

__

Dear Harry,

I have been thinking of late, and I have come to the conclusion that some of the decisions I have made with respect to you were not the best ones. I deemed myself to be acting in your best interest, although now I realize that I was wrong.

I know how much you dislike your Muggle relations, and I know now that you must resent me for forcing you to stay with them every summer. I was acting, however, with your safety in mind. You see, and I regret never having informed you of this, your mother invoked an ancient magic when she died to protect you. As I have said before, this protection, this love, resides in your very skin, and this is what stopped Lord Voldemort from killing you so long ago. However, this protection lives in more than just your skin; your mother's sacrifice lingers on in all who share her blood, including her sister.

The reason I insist that you live with your Aunt and Uncle for at least part of every summer is that, while you stay with your mother's family, Lord Voldemort cannot harm you. Your mother's sacrifice protects you still, in the form of your Aunt Petunia and her house. Until you come of age, Harry, no evil can touch you while you are living at Privet Drive.

I also feel obliged to tell you that I have reorganized the Order of the Phoenix, a group that, in the years before you were born, fought valiantly against Lord Voldemort. I realized that you might be very worried without this information, and that you should also know that our efforts are not in vain. Your godfather will have told you by now about our capture of Peter Pettigrew. 

There is one other thing that I have neglected to inform you of, but a letter is no place to do so. Although it is more dangerous for you, you have proven these last four years that you are quite capable of taking care of yourself. I would like to invite you to stay the remainder of the summer at the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix. If you wish to come, your godfather would be delighted, I'm sure, to bring you here.

The most important information of all is that which I have not told you yet, and I will not do so in this letter. If you decide to come to headquarters, I will speak with you inside its walls, where I am sure we wil not be overheard. If not, I will do so at a later date, in person. I am deeply sorry I have withheld so much information from you for so long, and I hope that you can forgive me.

Sincerely,

Albus Dumbledore

  
  



	4. Chapter Four: Secrets, Surprises, and Sh

AN: This is an Escaflowne/Harry Potter crossover, my first FanFic! Credit goes to www.britishairways.com for the name of the airport in Tokyo; to for info about the Japanese school year; to the Harry Potter Lexicon, for info about all things Harry, including calendars; to http:www.cse.unsw.edu.au/altse/japan/1212.html for information about and pictures of Narita airport; and to for information about international time zones.

Disclaimer: None of the characters from Escaflowne or Harry Potter are my own.

Review Responses:

To Sabrina Yutsuki: Oh, I think a more futuristic anime would be even more impossible - Gundam Wing, for example. How do you bring five Gundam pilots back from the future, and then involve them in the plot? You'd have to invent time travel! I'm glad Escaflowne is my favorite.

To Liz: Oh, great review! It's so wonderful to get one that criticizes ... I see your point, and I hope that I stayed in character better in this chapter.

To EnuNR-zero: I'm glad you made an account! Please don't lose too much sleep over this story ... I am trying to update every week, since each chapter needs to be drafted, proofread, and edited - you know what I mean. Still, I'm very glad that you are enjoying it so much! Please continue to R&R!

To Willow: I'm glad you think so! Not to worry, Van and friends will be arriving very soon.

To Bradybunch4529: Lol, yes, Hitomi does have an effect on everybody ... she's fun to write!

To Rai Dorian: I hope you like this chapter as well, and I'm flattered!

Thanks to everyone who reviewed! Feel free to e-mail me at misekichanyahoo.com anytime you like. I hope you like this next chapter! A lot of help came from my esteemed friend, Kurome Shiretsu, for beta-ing this story and helping with ideas. She has a few things up on here, including a one-shot and a YYH/X-Men crossover. Check out her work!

This story is a rewrite of Harry's fifth year, and updates will come weekly, every Sunday, since I have to do a lot of research, drafting, and editing for each chapter - not to mention planning the upcoming ones. So, bear with me please, people! I will update every week, I promise. I hope you like this next one!

--Miseki

* * *

**_Chapter Four: Secrets, Surprises, and Shopping_**

Hitomi slammed the book shut in frustration and put her head in her hands. None of it made any sense! She had no idea that these strange people actually _used_ crystal balls. _This stuff must only make sense for wizards,_ Hitomi thought ruefully, _but _I_ don't have magic!_ She stood up roughly, deciding that it was time for a break, when she heard Molly-san's voice wafting up from downstairs.

"Hitomi! Hitomi, dear!" Molly-san called. "It's time for supper!" Thankfully, Hitomi stepped out of her dim room and down the stairs, glancing triumphantly at the empty spot in the back of the hallway. Last week, she had helped Molly-san and Sirius-san take that awful portrait - the one that screamed all the time - down off the wall. It was now hanging in the attic, which was surrounded by a "Silencing Charm." Hitomi frowned. She still didn't understand "magic," and was pondering it as she walked through the kitchen and into the dining room.

"There you are, dear!" Molly-san said, taking Hitomi's elbow and steering her to a chair. "Here, you can sit next to my Ron."

The boy in question turned bright red and muttered, "hello," staring at his plate.

"Hello!" Hitomi said cheerfully, her frustration rapidly fading. Molly-san set a platter of food on the table, motioning to her to help herself. "Thanks!" Hitomi said, half bowing without getting up. She picked up her "fork," looking at it dubiously, and scooped some food onto her plate. Attempting to cover her lack of expertise with western utensils, she chattered idly. Soon, everyone was talking amicably.

Everyone had finished eating and Hitomi was helping Molly-san clean up when there was a knock at the door. Molly-san looked up, distracted. "Answer that, there's a dear," she said, and Hitomi put down the towel she was drying dishes with and went to get the door.

A little nervous, Hitomi crossed the hall, but that red-haired boy, Ron, got to it first. When he pulled it open, Hitomi's jaw dropped. Standing in the doorway, facing away from her and talking to Sirius-san, was a thin young man with a very familiar head of messy black hair ...

===

Harry turned to the Durselys, who were sitting very close together on the parlor sofa, clinging to each other and glaring at him. "I'm going with Sirius." He said. "I probably won't ever be back." They merely stared. Harry sighed. "Well, I'm ready, then." He said to Sirius, who was standing near the front door and trying not to laugh.

"All right. Once we get outside, get up on your broom, and follow me. The place we're going to is secret, so you'll have to wear James's cloak." His eyes glinted mischeviously. "You know what I'm talking about, right?"

Harry nodded, grinning. "Yeah. But what about you?"

"Me? Well, no one's after me anymore, are they?" Sirius shook his head. "Besides, if I was invisible, you wouldn't be able to follow me!" He laughed, striding out the door and onto the dark lawn. All the street lamps were out, even though the sun had set. Harry could still see his godfather's grin, even through the murky twilight. "All set, Harry? Good."

As Sirius mounted his broom, Harry pulled on his invisibility cloak. "I'm ready, Sirius!"

"Excellent!" Sirius shouted over his shoulder. "Hold on to that cloak, Harry! Here we go!" He pushed his broom off the ground, gliding easily into the night. Harry followed suit, and before long they were landing on a strip of lawn between two Muggle houses.

Harry stepped off his broom and tugged his cloak back into place. "Er ... Sirius? Have we made a wrong turn?"

"Oh, not at all! Headquarters is well hidden - we used a Fidelius Charm to keep its location a secret." Sirius grimaced, and so did Harry. "Much trouble as I've had with Fidelius Charms in the past, Dumbledore is our secret-keeper this time." He pulled a strip of paper out of his pocket and glanced around. "Where are you?" Harry pulled the cloak off his head, and Sirius came over and held the paper in front of Harry's face. "Here. Read this and memorize it - it's a note from Dumbledore with the address of headquarters written on it."

Harry glanced at the paper - it read "Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place" - and then looked back up at Sirius, a question in his eyes.

"Now think about it." Sirius said, his eyes twinkling. Harry did so, and his mouth dropped open as a large, gloomy-looking mansion appeared in the suddenly wider gap between the two Muggle houses. Sirius sauntered up to the porch and Harry, pulling his cloak off, followed him. Sirius knocked sharply on the door, and Harry, standing in front of it, turned to face him.

"But ... where did you find this place?"

"I'll tell you about it once we get inside." Sirius said with a grin. "Pretty neat, huh?"

Harry opened his mouth to respond, but just then the door swung open. He heard a shout from inside - a girl's voice - and suddenly someone ran into him at nearly the speed of light, knocking him over. The girl - he could tell it was a girl now - fell on top of him.

"_VAN!!_" Hitomi shouted, landing on top of the young man with a crash. "But how did you get here, I - " the young man, rubbing his head, sat up, and suddenly Hitomi was very embarrassed. She stood up quickly, her face turning dark red. "I'm sorry, I just ... you look like someone I know." Hitomi explained feebly, staring at the ground.

Harry goggled at the girl, mystified. Mrs. Weasley appeared in the doorway, a wet dishrag in her hand. "What's going on here?" She demanded. "Come now, stop standing in the door like that. You'll let the whole world know where we are!" It was as she ushered them all into the hallway that she noticed Harry. "Harry, dear!" She hugged him tightly. "How was your journey? Come, into the kitchen, and let's get you some tea." Harry was swept off into the kitchen, followed by Ron, who was trying very hard not to laugh.

===

Hitomi paced angrily back and forth across her candlelit room. Why did she think it was him?! Sure, they looked alike, at least from behind. But, still! She slammed her fist on the wall. He wouldn't look for her here, away from home. Cradling her throbbing knuckles, Hitomi sank onto her bed, staring out the window at the cloudy sky. She was being silly. He'd never come here looking for her, of course he wouldn't. She sighed. He was too far away ...

===

"What's up with that girl, anyway?" Harry asked, swirling his teacup idly. "I mean, why'd she crash into me like that?"

"I dunno." Ron said around a particularly large bite of crumpet. "That girl's a weird one."

Harry frowned, puzzled. "Yeah, but who _is_ she?"

"Her name's Hitomi. She got here about a week before we did." Ron glanced over at his friend. "I suppose Sirius told you what happened? With Wormtail, and all that?" Harry nodded.

Ron was about to say more, but Mrs. Weasley was passing through, and she, having heard them, interrupted, "Well, he's been downright annoying ever since - running about with that grin plastered on his face, pulling pranks on everybody. I swear, that portrait of his _never_ shut up - " she moved off, muttering.

Harry looked confused. "What portrait?"

"Oh, that's right! We took it down last week. Sirius had this horrible portrait of his mum hanging on the wall. It would shout horrible things at everyone in range if you made the slightest noise. Took us three weeks to get it down!"

"Sounds like you've been busy." Harry said, just a touch of irritation in his voice.

Ron saw the look. "Yeah, well, cleaning up this rotten old place isn't very much fun. Dumbledore stops by sometimes, and - " he suddenly remembered something. "Oh, yeah! Dumbledore wanted me to tell you that he wants to talk to you soon as you get here. What'd you do this time?"

Harry blinked, uncomprehending for a moment, and then he remembered the letter. "Oh ... " he stood up and headed for the door. " ... talk to you later, Ron ... "

The door swung shut behind him. Ron scratched his head, confused. "What's going on around here?" He said to no one. "Everybody's gone batty."

===

Harry found out where Dumbledore's room was from Mrs. Weasley, and tapped gingerly on his door. "Professor Dumbledore?"

"Yes? Come in." A voice called from inside.

Harry opened the door and slid in, closing it softly behind him. "You wanted to see me, sir?" He asked, almost afraid of what he would hear.

"Ah, Harry." Dumbledore stood up and motioned Harry toward a chair. They both sat, Dumbledore across from Harry, and looked at each other. "What I have to tell you now is not easy for me to say, Harry," Dumbledore said, sighing, "but I must say it. I am about to place a terrible burden on you, one that will do nothing but add to the pain you have already suffered, but it would be infinitely more dangerous to leave you unaware. I was unwilling to tell you these last four years, despite the fact that you have proven yourself to be ready again and again, but the danger to you has never been greater, now that Voldemort has been returned to his full strength.

"What I have to tell you concerns you relationship with Lord Voldemort. I have told you some things about your scar ... I can see that you remember ... but I couldn't bring myself to tell you the whole truth then. However, I will tell you now, even though it is almost too late.

"A little more than fifteen years ago, I was interviewing Sibyll Trelawney - a Professor of yours - for the post of Divination teacher. Though she was the descendant of a famous and very gifted Seer, she showed no potential, and I was just leaving when she did something that convinced me otherwise. She gave a prophecy, and, though I should have, I never told you the contents of that prophecy." Dumbledore looked up at Harry, his blue eyes infinitely sad. "Would you like to know why it is that Lord Voldemort tried to kill you?"

Harry gaped. He sat there for a moment, stunned, and then managed to gulp, "Yes."

Dumbledore sighed. "Very well, then. The prophecy goes as follows:

_'The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches ... Born to those who have thrice deifed him, born as the seventh month dies ... and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not ... and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives ... The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies ... '_

" 

Harry's head was whirling. "But, sir ... what does it mean?" He asked weakly.

"It means that the only person who can defeat Lord Voldemort was born at the end of July to parents who had already escaped Voldemort three times. It means that Voldemort chose this person, marked him as an equal."

Harry blinked, beginning to comprehend. Slowly, he said, "And it means that either he has to kill Voldemort ... or Voldemort will kill him." He sat for a moment, lost in thought.

Dumbledore waited, and then said quietly, "One of Voldemort's followers was eavesdropping on my conversation that night. He only heard the first part of that prophecy before he was discovered, and so Voldemort only knew that someone capable of destroying him would be born that July. He found out, that night when he tried to kill you, that to do so would be 'marking you as his equal' - in short, when Voldemort gave you that scar, he transferred some of his powers to you, and fulfilled the ending of that prophecy." He paused. "I'm sorry to have to tell you this, Harry, but when he tried to kill you, Voldemort made you the only person with the power to defeat him."

Something very close to panic welled up inside Harry. "But I can't!!" He shouted, leaping to his feet. "How can I?! I haven't got the power he has, I couldn't do things like ... torture people, or ... " memories of the night Cedric died, memories that haunted him in his nightmares, came crashing unbidden into his head. He could hear himself screaming, see Cedric's body lying on the ground, as if he were back in that graveyard again.

Dumbledore's voice sliced through the memories, bringing Harry back to himself. "You will find that you do have 'power he knows not,' Harry. You have the one power he could never have, could never understand, and you have an abundance of this power. It is what caused Professor Quirell such pain to touch you in your first year, and brought you to the rescue of several others these last four years. Think about it, Harry, and when the time comes, you will understand."

===

The next morning, Hitomi went downstairs and into the kitchen, looking for someone who could help her out. She found a pale man with lanky black hair and a scowl. "Snape-san!" She cried happily, jogging up to him.

Snape looked over. "Oh, it's you," he said, grunting and turning back to his breakfast.

Hitomi waited for him to say something else, and when he didn't, she went ahead and asked. "Snape-san, I was wondering ... you see, I kind of need to go shopping ... "

"Shopping?" Snape said in a disinterested voice, not really paying attention.

"Yeah. Dumbledore-sama said that he needed me to help him ... " She looked around warily, and then sat down, continuing in a hushed voice. "He said that Professor Trelawney, his Divination teacher, had important work to do for the Order, and couldn't teach this year, so he wants _me_ to teach it instead. He said I would do just fine if I studied a little."

"Tell me again why this concerns me," Snape said, his scowl darkening.

"Well, Snape-san, the thing is, there aren't many Divination books in this house ... in fact, there's only one. But that one makes no sense!" She caught herself shouting, and lowered her voice. "I need to go shopping, wherever wizards shop, and get some better books about Divination that I can study from."

Snape looked dubious. "And you want me to take you."

Taking this for an agreement, Hitomi smiled and stood up. "Great! Let's leave in half an hour, okay?" She slipped happily out the door, leaving Snape scowling at it in consternation.

"How does she always manage to do that to me?" He growled, abandoning his breakfast to search for someone - anyone - else, someone who wouldn't mind ... _shopping_.

Forty-five minutes later, Hitomi and Snape stood in the alley behind the Leaky Cauldron, and Snape was tapping the bricks with his wand. To Hitomi's amazement, the brick wall transformed itself into an arch, and Snape had to grab Hitomi's wrist and pull her into Diagon Alley. Hitomi's eyes grew wide and her jaw dropped at the sight of dozens of witches and wizards, complete with robes, milled busily around the narrow street.

Snape interrupted her reverie. "Do you even have any money?" he growled irritably.

She jumped. "Oh, yeah, I exchanged my Yen for Pounds in the airport ... " her voice trailed off when she saw his face. "Do wizards not use pounds?"

Snape rolled his eyes. "To Gringotts, then. You can use money from my personal account - for now. I expect to be repaid in full, however." She merely stared at him with round eyes, and he stalked off, leaving her running to catch up.

Once inside Gringotts, Snape told her to wait in the lobby while he visited his "vault" to collect some money. Hitomi stood awkwardly in the center of the room, surrounded by odd, short creatures who glared at her. She looked sadly down at her handful of British pounds. _I guess not,_ she thought, wishing Snape-san would hurry up. She didn't have to wait long; eventually, Snape-san strode quickly out of a door in the back of the room, handed her a small pouch, and walked away, leaving her, once again, struggling to catch up. She grabbed his wrist and pulled him to a halt in the middle of the street, outside the bank. "Wait a minute!" She said, her glare almost matching his. "How am I supposed to get any shopping done if you keep dragging me around all over the place?!"

There was that horrible word again. "Hurry. We will spend as little time as possible ... _shopping_ ... before we must return to headquarters." He scowled.

Hitomi sniffed, and walked slowly down the street, looking for a bookstore. She passed by a door with a sign hanging above it that said "Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions," and became interested. Timidly, she slipped in, tinkling a small bell that hung above the door. "Excuse me," she said, looking for clerk.

"Ah, yes, welcome!" A short, round lady waltzed into the room. "How may I help you?" She asked, her smile changing to mild surprise when she saw Snape slouching in the doorway.

"Um ... I need some robes, you know ... professional ones, I guess." The lady's eyes snapped back to Hitomi, and her smile returned.

"Starting a new job, are you, dear?" The lady was already pulling swatches of fabric down from a shelf.

Hitomi smiled nervously. "Well, I'll be ... tutoring ... some younger students."

The lady thought for a moment. "You'll need something that commands respect, then, without being too formal. Am I right?"

Hitomi, getting into the spirit of shopping for clothes, nodded. "Yeah! And we need some good colors ... " She bustled over to the shelf of fabric, and soon the two were chatting amiably and holding up different lengths of fabric.

Snape glared at them. How long could it possibly take to get a few robes? He should have known that the girl wouldn't only be buying books, but he had let himself be dragged to Diagon Alley. Worse, he had let her see the robes shop! He should have just pulled her into the bookstore, bought her a few Divination books, and then escaped. Now it was too late - she'd be shopping for hours. After what seemed like an eternity but was really only about an hour, Snape was following Hitomi out of Madam Malkin's, carrying a large box full of robes.

"Do you think I'll need a wand?" Hitomi asked. She didn't wait for an answer, but turned around and got directions to a wand shop from Madam Malkin. To Snape's dismay, she ignored the bookstore completely and marched toward Ollivander's.

Dust kicked up around Hitomi's feet when she entered Ollivander's. She coughed slightly, squinting in the dim light. An old man with round glasses and a shock of white hair appeared from behind a shelf. "Another student, I suppose?" He asked lightly, looking her up and down and digging for his measuring tape.

"Well, not really, Ollivander-san."

"'-san'?" Ollivander repeated. "Might I ask where you come from?" Just then Snape stepped out of the shadows, glaring menacingly. Ollivander coughed. "Ahem! Ah, no need to know, of course." The measuring tape was taking Hitomi's measurements of its own accord while Ollivander pondered. "You do have an otherworldly quality, miss." He said, thinking aloud. "Maybe ... here, try this." He handed Hitomi a wand. She stared at it, confused, and glanced at Snape, who was subtly waving his hand, as if to say, 'wave the wand.' Doubtfully, she swished it a little.

A fine sprinkling of tiny blue sparks whispered out of the end, bathing the room in clear blue light before fading away. "What did I do?!" Hitomi gasped.

"Otherworldly, indeed." Ollivander said, lifting the wand out of Hitomi's hand and placing it in a box. "Although wands do not normally react that way, I am certain that this wand is for you - ten inches long, ash." He cut a small bow. "Good day."

Hitomi paid the man seven of Snape's galleons and left, still rather puzzled. This did not daunt her enthusiasm for shopping, however. She dragged poor Snape, laden with packages, to several different stores, including the stationary shop ("How can I teach without writing?") and an obscure little store from which she bought a crystal ball. Finally, when Snape was barely visible behind a wall of boxes, Hitomi visited the bookstore.

Not at all nervous anymore, she went up to the manager. "Excuse me, sir," she said politely. "Where can I find Divination books?" The busy man pointed her to an aisle in the back. She wandered up and down, running her finger across the titles and consulting the list of subjects Trelawney-san had given her before she left. _I don't think I can do this,_ she thought, starting to panic. Still, after a while, Hitomi had selected one book each on Palmistry, reading Tea Leaves, Crystal Balls, and Astrology, and was about to leave when a small, dark leather book caught her eye. Reading the title, she had an idea, and her worries started to fade away. _Wizards have tarot cards too, huh? I wonder ... _

===

"What is it you wanted to show me?" Red eyes glinted in the darkness.

Fear was evident in the rotund man's voice. "Th-th-there was a l-light, Master."

"A light?" Disinterest.

"Y-yes, Master, it sh-shone around this c-cliff." Seeing the anger in his master's face, the rotund man tried to explain. "W-we thought it might be p-powerful magic, Master! We th-thought - "

"It is apparent that you did _not_ think. Why would I want to chase lights you _think_ you saw when I would much rather you showed me a way to destroy that miserable boy ... " red eyes gleamed with anger as the master turned on the rotund man. Suddenly, the cliff face lit up against the night sky, and what seemed to be a wall faded away, revealing a wide cavern. The light was coming from a dais in the rear. When the master saw the giant object seated upon it, he turned to his servant. "You have done well. Your master is pleased."

_Power,_ the master thought, gazing at the giant. Though it did not move, it seemed to beckon. The master walked slowly toward it, red eyes glowing in the darkness.


	5. Not A Chapter

Hey everyone! This is not a chapter - Sorry! I wanted to apologize for not updating in so long. Once everything is settled with college, I should be able to continue writing again - it shouldn't be long. If it turns out that I don't have time to work on this story, which is entirely possible, I will let you know. I apologize once more, and thank you all for being such kind and faithful reviewers!

-Miseki


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